Renault Will Transition French Island To Renewable Energy

Tesla is not the only company that is bringing the wonders of renewable energy to the islands of the world. Last February, Renault helped electrify the Portuguese islands of Madeira and Porto Santo , located hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco. Islands present unique challenges when it comes to electricity. Either they have to be supplied by undersea cables, which are expensive to install and expensive to maintain, or they have to use fossil fuels — typically diesel — to power generators on the islands themselves. Either way, residents pay some of the highest electricity prices in the world. Now Renault has agreed to make Belle-Île-en-Mer, an island off the northwest coast of France near St. Nazarre, a “Smart Island.” What does that mean? It means a fleet of electric vehicles to help people get around the island without tailpipe emissions. It means solar panels on as many roofs as possible. And it means using recycled EV batteries to store some of that solar power for use after the sun sets. According to The Drive , the vehicles will be a mix of Renault Zoe 5 door hatchback sedans and Renault Kangoo […]

Grant Brown is a passionate environmentalist, driven by a need to “leave it better than he found it”. This drive, combined with a capacity to understand power solutions of all types, helps him in his day job as VP Marketing at a start up clean technology company. His goal personally as well as professionally, is to help and inspire others to become a part of the green shift and to leave a positive legacy in the world.